Hitch Hiker
by RedLightning350
Summary: Adelynn Carson hasn't had the best life, but she's willing to stick it out. When she receives help from a strange group of people who pick her up as she hitch hikes away from her old life, she learns that life isn't so bad when you've got giant robots to look after. RESTARTED THANKS TO MANY LOVING FANS 3
1. Prolouge

**Hello everyone! Here's the revised prolouge!**

**Guest: that's right, I'm back, baby!**

It's dark outside, so dark I can't see across the street. The clouds press down like my forehead pressed to the glass, encasing the neighborhood in a dreary gray dusk. The lone streetlight burned out months ago, leaving the roads in chilly darkness. Even in the few weeks of bustling energy before Christmas, there are no cars, no people. They're hiding from the world that put them here.

But I guess that's how it is in a place like this.,

Let me tell you, a place like this is not somewhere you want to be.

I watch a green car slide down the street and park in my driveway. I duck under the covers as the door slam open and the laughter of my stepfather and his friends fills the formerly quiet house. Footsteps clamber up to my room and I cringe, tears filling my eyes. Don't come in, don't come in!

And of course he comes in, standing for a moment in the threshold before moving forward. He grabs the comforter and peels it back, grinning at me kneeling against the edge of the bed. "Hey, Addie. Why don't you be a dear and get your ol' dad a little something to drink?"

I grip the covers and give him a tiny shake of the head. His face falls and he whips the covers off the end of the bed. "Get me and my friends a beer, Addie."

Not wanting to start a fight, I get up, walking slowly behind him into the kitchen. "Good girl. Now, make something for us, yeah?" His friends snicker and knock the drinks I hand them out of my hands, shattering the glass against the tile with a soft chink.

"Oh, Adelynn." My stepfather sighs. "Clean it up." One of the guys hands me a washcloth and smiles with blood I can almost see dripping down his fangs. I take it and delicately slide the pieces onto the cloth. Thankfully, the men leave to watch the game starting in the other room and I am left alone. Tossing the glass into the waiting trash can, I lean against the counter and blow a rush of air out of my cheeks. I listen to the shouting a few feet away and start gathering food, rushing through the process of making food so that I can retreat to my room. A few minutes later I hear a man- Josh, I think- yell at my stepfather, "Oy! Rob! Tell your kid to hurry it up!" As I turn to dump salsa into a bowl he appears next to me and surveys my work. I glance at him out of the corner of my eye and he nods, going back into the living room.

Thank God! I think, and take the food into the dark room, setting it on the table in front of them.

Right as my fingers leave the last plate Josh turns his gaze to me and smiles again. "Why don't you come sit with me, kid?" I recoil and glance at my step dad, who nods without looking away from the television. Sweat sliding down my back, I sit on the edge of the cushion, poised to run if I have to. Josh's thigh presses against mine and he leans forward to wrap his arm around my shoulders, pulling me back into him.

As the uncomfortable seconds drag on, my eyes riveted to the screen without taking anything in, sweat slicking my forehead and my lip bleeding from where I've bitten it to keep from crying, his hand slides down and rests against my hip.

My eyes widen of their own accord and I shiver, panic rising in my head. He unwraps his arm and I almost stand up when he places his hot fingers through a tear in my jeans. No. I blink rapidly and try to clamp down the terror in my skull. No, no, no! My breath quickens, and his fingers seem to burn into my skin, a single tear slips down and splashes my arm resting in my lap, and that one tear sets off the waiting explosion teetering in my brain.

Suddenly I can't see anything and there's a sharp ringing in my ears and my limbs go numb and hurt at the same time and I'm shaking as I stand up and leave, stumbling into a banister in my dazed rush.

When the shouting dies down and their favorite team has won, the guys leave and footsteps again head up to my room.

The doors open and I clutch the pillow closer to my chest, knuckles turning white.

"Why'd you leave so soon, Addie?"

"I'm sorry," I whisper.

"Sorry? Sorry doesn't cut it, sweetheart. You disrespected my buddy Josh here," He steps to the side and lets the man in question in. They both stare at me and then my step dad moves forward, grabbing my hair. "Are you sorry?" He yanks me to the side and asks again. "Are you sorry?"

"Yes!" I choke out, wincing. "I'm sorry!"

Apparently this isn't good enough, as he pulls me up to his eye level and whispers to me with a glare, "Be glad he's here, or this would be a lot worse." I nod, eyes wide, wait for them to leave so I can cry in peace.

But they don't leave.

Josh taps his chin and smiles his wry smile at me. "I wonder if there's any way I could forgive her, don't you, Rob?"

Rob- my step dad- smiles too. "Yes, I do. I mean, wouldn't it be just a crime if you had such a blow to your honour, with hardly a glance back?"

I flicked my gaze from one man to the other, wanting to cry.

Josh sighed. "I suppose there's only one way to fix this, isn't there?" He leaned down and ran his grimy hand over my cheek. I closed my eyes and let a drop of water squeeze its way down said cheek, preparing for the worst. Both men grinned at each other and my step father wrenched the pillow from my clenched hands.

"I'll let the two of you get acquainted," He says. As soon as he finishes speaking, the doorbell rings and Josh rolls his eyes. "That's probably Angel. Gotta go." He kisses my cheek, chuckling, and heads downstairs with Rob.

When the door closes again, I let the tears fall.

**I'm sorry this is so bad oh man /)-(\**

**Anyways, I posted the author's note yesterday and I've gotten a thousand hits and a review already? I love you guys so so much, getting all of these interactions really keeps me going. Love you!**

**Red, over and out**


	2. Escape

**Chapter One, here we go!**

After an hour or so of silently crying, I wipe off my face and push away the duvet. I want to get out. I can't deal with this anymore. Of all places and people and personalities and pasts I could have gotten, I got the one that I was mostly undeserving of. I had done a lot of bad things, but it was in retaliation to Rob, right? I was a good person, and I want to go to a good place. I want- no, need- to get out.

"Pull yourself together, Adelynn," I whisper. "You can do this." I take a deep breath in and say a bit louder, "I can do it."

Taking a sheet of paper from under my bed, I begin gathering things from around my bedroom and place them in a pile on the floor. Once everything is there I flip the wrinkled paper over and scrawl a note on the other side.

Dear Robert…

I don't apologize for leaving him.

I wish there was a way I could stop hating…

The only emotion I feel is liberation, but I think somewhere deep inside, there is pity.

I don't care if you're angry…

I just want to get out.

Sincerely, Adelynn.

I almost begin crying again as my pencil stops, as it writes the first step to freedom. But my bubble of happiness is popped when I hear the door slam downstairs. I drop the letter and open my mouth in a silent scream of frustration, then grit my teeth and dash to the bedroom door. Stopping a fraction of an inch away from the wood, I lean forward and listen to the voice underneath me singing to himself and then leap backwards to the mound of my belongings. Working quickly, I fold and pack things away until all that remains are a duffle bag and my purse, and then push the both of them under the bed and pull the blanket down so they're hidden.

"Addie!" I step back to make sure my work was done correctly and then turn and push on the handle, stepping into the hallway. "Yes?"

"Where's the damn remote?"

I roll my eyes. "It's on the table in front of you."

It's silent in the room at the bottom of the stairs for a moment.

Then, "Come find it for me!"

I realize that the goodbye letter is still clenched in my hand and quickly tuck it into the waistband of my pants.

I walk down the stairs and poke my head into the living room, where the television is still dark. Robert knocks something over and curses in his fumble for the remote. I roll my eyes again while I have the chance and then reach out to flick the lights on. He stands next to the table, shielding his eyes, and on the couch sits a woman, staring at me. I stare back at her for several seconds and then creep into the room, wrapping my tiny hands around the remote.

Robert takes it, smashing buttons before falling onto the couch and putting his arm around the woman. I stand back in the doorway and then turn into the kitchen, snatching things from the cupboards and stuffing them into my clothes to avoid suspicion. When I pace across the living room again the two adults' faces are mashed together, and I breathe a sigh of relief as I close my bedroom door unscathed.

After I've taped the note to my headboard, put the food into my bags, and slung the duffel bag over my shoulder, I stick my head I into the hallway and hear the sound of the television playing. Then, I tiptoe to the window and try to push it open- only to find that it is glued shut. Stepping back, I curse under my breath and look around for something to use to break through the window. The chair sitting by my cluttered desk seems the best option, so I lift it up as much as I can and toss it at the closed window. It bounces away with hardly a scratch. I wait to see if anyone has heard and then try it again, heaving the chair into the glass twice more until it breaks with a grating crack.

I punch the air and hiss a "yes!" under my breath and then pull my jacket sleeves over my pale hands, sliding out of the empty frame into the blistering wind. I smile and then push my legs off the roof, dangling by my arms before dropping onto the pavement below. I look back at the off-white house and wave, leaving my past for something better. Dirt for diamonds.

I hear a crash and a scream from a room inside, and then my step father's face appeared at my window. I laughed, turned tail, and ran.

**Everyone, thank you so much for hanging on and waiting for me to get my ass into gear! I love you all so much :***

**Red, over and out**


	3. IMPORTANT AN!

**OKAY!**

**I know, seeing me update after two years! I hope all of you are still alive and well. If not, my condolences. If you've read my profile recently, I'm re-writing/updating this story. If you haven't read my profile recently, now you know.**

**So, I just wanted to say thank you to all of you for reading and liking all of my work.**

**I'm almost finished with rewriting the prolouge. After it's done, the first thing I'm going to do is upload it. It will be a touch darker at the beginning, but will hopefully lighten up as the story progresses.**

**Again, thank you thank you thank you for being such awesome fans! I love you all.**

**Red, over and out**

**P.S. I'm also looking for a beta, if anyone wants to sign up for that.**


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